Insights on power

An overview on how the electric grid is changing to increase safety for everyone and the current challenges engineers face.

By Sam Sciacca, SCS Consulting

03/11/2013

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Today’s electrical grid is undergoing changes to help ensure blackouts, cyber attacks, and other problems don’t occur. Here is a brief summary of the blogs that can be found at the “Insights on Power” blog at www.csemag.com/blogs/.

In “Stopping Industrial Hackers: Cyber Security For IEDs,” we noted the efficacy of turning to the IEEE Power and Energy Society's Substations Committee’s work on IEEE 1686, “Standard for Substation Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) Cyber Security Capabilities.”

In “For Communications Interop, Follow Protocols” I recommended perusal of IEEE Standard 1815, which is also known as the Distributed Network Protocol, or DNP3, described in this press release. Here’s a link to the DNP User’s Group.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE) has issued a paper calling for IEC 61850 stakeholders (including IEC’s Working Group 10 and TC57) to address the issues it has identified.

Two standards are important here: IEEE Standard 1588, a precision time protocol that has become an international standard, and IEEE Standard C37.238. The latter defines the precision time protocol of IEEE Standard 1588 in power system protection, control, and automation. IEEE Standard C37.238 addresses the specific needs of electric utilities.

The blog, “Selecting a Protection and Control Automation System,” pointed to pitfalls in the selection of vendors and systems for protection and control automation systems for industrial clients and offered a few guidelines. While I suggested that a single protection/substation equipment vendor may offer multiple automation/integration options, including a PLC protocol-based option, IEEE Standard 1815, IEC 61850, or even a proprietary option, the issue is complex. (As noted, IEC 61850 has encountered implementation issues.)

In “Addressing Time Synchronization Issues, Related Standards Work,” I discuss how to finesse the issues of system design and the selection of devices in the market. A vendor statement on absolute time accuracy would help. Fortunately, a standard on time-tagging in protection and disturbance IEDs is in the works.

In the final blog of 2012, I looked forward in “DC Power and Renewable Resources.” If there’s one nascent technology you need to keep an eye on, it’s dc power’s efficiencies, which contribute to parity among renewables.

Sam Sciacca is an active senior member in the IEEE and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the area of utility automation. He has more than 25 years of experience in the domestic and international electrical utility industries. Sciacca serves as the chair of two IEEE working groups that focus on cyber security for electric utilities: the Substations Working Group C1 (P1686) and the Power System Relay Committee Working Group H13 (PC37.240). Sciacca also is president of SCS Consulting.